Waffle House Adds $0.50 Egg Surcharge as Poultry Prices Climb 35%

Avian flu forces Waffle House to implement a surcharge on egg-containing orders

The exterior of a Waffle House restaurant | ©Image Credit: Waffle House
The exterior of a Waffle House restaurant | ©Image Credit: Waffle House

Waffle House is feeling the pinch of rising egg prices, and customers will now share the burden. The iconic diner chain has announced a $0.50 surcharge on egg-containing orders due to a significant rise in poultry costs. The culprit? A devastating outbreak of avian flu, which has decimated chicken flocks across the United States in recent years. Read on to learn more about this price increase at Waffle House and how long the extra charge will be in place.

Waffle House introduces $0.50 egg surcharge amid rising costs

The casual dining restaurant chain, known for its breakfast staples, is now implementing a $0.50 surcharge per egg across all its locations in the United States. Signs in its restaurants cite the “nationwide rise in the cost of eggs” as the reason for the additional charge. The surge is largely driven by an aggressive strain of avian flu, which continues to disrupt supply chains across the country.

“The continuing egg shortage caused by HPAI (bird flu) has led to a dramatic increase in egg prices,” Waffle House said in a statement to CNN. “Customers and restaurants are being forced to make difficult decisions.”

With approximately 2,100 locations across 25 U.S. states, the Georgia-based chain emphasized that it is “continuously monitoring egg prices and will adjust or remove the surcharge as market conditions allow.”

Eggs are the most popular item at Waffle House, with the chain serving an estimated 272 million eggs per year—far surpassing its 153 million hash browns and 124 million waffles, according to its website.

The National Restaurant Association acknowledged that the surge in egg prices is especially difficult for breakfast-focused restaurants like Waffle House to manage.

“When shortages like this happen, operators work closely with their food suppliers to determine how it will impact them,” Sean Kennedy, executive vice president of public affairs at the National Restaurant Association, told CNN. “There are several options operators consider, from changing their menus to increasing their prices.” Apparently, Waffle House has chosen the latter.

How severe is the avian flu outbreak in the United States?

Avian flu has been disrupting farms and the egg supply in the country since January 2022, leading to the culling of 108 million birds—75 million of which were egg-laying hens, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.

The outbreak worsened in late 2024 due to a resurgence of the virus. In November and December alone, approximately 17 million egg-laying hens were slaughtered—nearly half of all birds lost to the virus that year, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.

The USDA reported outbreaks in California, Indiana, Missouri, North Carolina, and Ohio, resulting in the deaths of approximately 8.3 million birds in January alone.

This crisis has sent egg prices soaring. The average cost of a dozen large grade-A eggs, which Waffle House relies on, jumped to $4.15 in December, up from $3.65 in November, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Consumer Price Index also reported around 35% year-over-year increase in egg prices that month.

As long as the avian flu persists, so will high prices. “Not to be the bearer of bad news, but we’re in this for a while,” Emily Metz, president and CEO of the American Egg Board, said. “Until we have time without a detection, unfortunately, this very, very tight egg supply is going to continue.”

Source: CNN